


Out and Proud

by LittleSweetCheeks, Rivermoon1970



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: AU, Family, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-19
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-05-09 00:17:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14705534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleSweetCheeks/pseuds/LittleSweetCheeks, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivermoon1970/pseuds/Rivermoon1970
Summary: Aaron had always known who he was, who he was meant to love.





	Out and Proud

**Author's Note:**

> Wonderful Art By- RiverMoon1970

 

It isn’t right, he knows, tells himself sometimes daily, that a man should have to travel so far away to be safe. But home hadn’t been a good place to be since his dad had found him in the woods behind their house with the new kid from school. New _boy_ from school. It had been the worst beating he’d endured, caught naked on a blanket, both their cocks in his hand and _so close_ to finding that special place _with someone else_ for the first time. The roar had followed a microsecond after Aaron had seen the other boy’s eyes widen ever so slightly. Whites getting a bit whiter as the boy had paled beneath him.

And then the painful feel of fists on his back, something long and unforgiving across his thighs as _very nearly almost coming rightthererightnow_ became a desperate, animal drive for fight or flight, fucking taking a hike instantly as his dick throbbed in confusion.

The boy beneath him had scurried backward into the bushes, fleeing like some sort of pale, fleshy crab scurrying for safety. His own rapidly softening cock still smearing precome across his stomach.

Aaron never saw him again, the boy who had finally witnessed why the tall, dark, and handsome Aaron Hotchner had a reputation of being nearly mute and emotionless. He’d possibly witnessed the one beating Aaron would one day be the most ashamed of, not because a classmate, a lover, had watched as he’d been pounded into submission, but because it was the first time his body had responded to the abuse, due to a torrent of too strong hormones, by erupting his seed as he was trying to scramble away.

He’d fled that day, naked and covered in blood, tears, and his own come. After that, it seemed, Aaron’s body had developed a rewiring of the pain/pleasure impulses.

==

College was, for Aaron, everything high school had never been. There was a freedom he’d never had before, having lived under his father’s oppressive and bigoted thumb. His father had never let him forget, for the three years of high school he’d suffered through, that there was something fundamentally _wrong_ with him.

Aaron had never risked looking for another date, male or otherwise, too ashamed of what the boy had seen that day in the woods and too afraid a new partner would witness his downfall again. At school and in public, he was withdrawn and silent. Never speaking up in class or socializing with peers during free time. Someone might discover his secrets, any of them, and share them.

His drive had an upside, however, in the form of early acceptance to a college some eight hundred miles away. There wasn’t a chance in hell his dad would drive eight hundred miles to see him, so for the first time in his life, Aaron was free.

College life wasn’t what Aaron had expected it to be. Sure, he’d expected there to be drinking and partying on the weekends, but he hadn’t expected the almost total lack of care some students gave for their education.

There was a club open somewhere every night of the week where an interested party could get their hands on alcohol served, no ID required, or a whole range of drugs to dull the pain. Or enhance it if that was what got your motor running.

Sex was easy to find as well.

Aaron tended to only turn up for the alcohol and the drugs.

He was younger than most everyone else who turned up at these things, but he had his adult height and the stone-cold stare he’d honed under his father’s rule and those two went a long way to get people to bend to his will.

Tonight, Aaron was in an underground club a few miles from campus, the air so thick with smoke and whatever was _being_ smoked that he quickly decided to go ahead and light up himself. If he was going to head back to the dorms smelling of pot and booze, he might as well enjoy it. The bartender wasn’t the kind that carded so long as you had cash and it was easy to find the local supply point for the drugs, he was sitting back like a king, girls splayed out over him. Two stops and several bills later, Aaron was ready to forget about the tests he had tomorrow and just chill.

“Can I bum a bit?” A voice asked against Aaron’s ear, trying to be heard over the thumping, strobing music.

Aaron turned and frowned at the kid, about his age with short blonde hair. Fit enough that Aaron could see his pecks through the faded shirt, and tall, taller than himself by a couple inches. Their proximity was so close that Aaron had to tip his chin up to meet his eyes. That didn’t happen often. “Why should I?” He tried to cover the sudden dryness to his throat.

The blonde smiled and leaned in. “I forgot my cash. But… We could go in the back and I could repay you another way.”

“What makes you think I’m into that?” He shot back.

“The fact you didn’t deck me just then.”

“You propositioned me expecting me to punch you?”

He shrugged. “Hot guy like you, it was worth the risk.” He leaned in even closer, lips brushing Aaron’s ear. “And a guy like you punching me? That’d keep me going for weeks.”

Aaron chugged part of his beer and lit the joint in his hand. “We can share.” He pulled it to his mouth, drawing the relaxing drugs into his system. He didn’t want to think about how this total stranger had admitted to being turned on by the same thing he found himself jerking off too. If he turned and decked the guy, he’d have to hurry home, or at least to an alley, because the violence of it would have him rock hard in an instant.

“I’m Rick, by the way. I go to school over at MIT.”

Aaron passed him the smoke. “Aaron, Harvard.”

“Harvard, wow. And what’s a Harvard boy doing burning his brain cells up in a place like this?”

“Just needed a night to decompress.” His eyes roamed over what he could see of the boy, man, pressed against him. He was clean, despite the sweaty, griminess of the club, and well groomed even as he was dressed mostly appropriately for the location.

Rick made a noise in the back of his throat but didn’t comment further as the worked to finish their beers and joint. Brushing his hand on his pants, Rick pressed in along Aaron’s whole body. “Shall we?”

It was the first time Aaron had even truly considered being with a guy physically since the issue with his dad and he wasn’t sure if he was ready. “You know what, I’ll pass. Not really in the mood.” He could feel Rick’s dick against his hip, the man was hard and getting harder. “Maybe another time?” Aaron turned and weaved his way toward the back of the club where the bathrooms and an exit to an alley usually were. He was almost down the only slightly less crowded hallway when a body was against him, shoving him into a greasy wall. He grunted as his face smashed into the cool paint.

“I won’t chase you, but I’m not above begging.” Rick’s voice giggled in his ear. “You walk through that door and I go back into the club, but if you want me.” His hand snaked around the front of Aaron’s jeans and pressed firmly against his dick. “I’ll be happy to play it however makes you feel good.”

Aaron tried weakly to push back against the blonde, but it only pushed Rick’s cock against his ass. He’d spent years running off small confrontations and secret videos and, if he was honest with himself, he was ready to be enjoying the real thing. “Make me.”

Rick paused behind him. “What?”

“You’re right, I want you. But you have to make me agree.”

As if by divine intervention, a bathroom door swung open and two people stumbled out. Seizing the opportunity, Rick hauled Aaron into the dimly lit room and shoved him hard against the far wall. The room was small, just big enough for three narrow stalls and a pair of sinks, and it was covered in cracked and mildewed, mint green tile. The window on that far wall had been tipped open to let the thick smoke from cigarettes vent out and allow a hint of fresh air in. At his height, Aaron’s head was against the window, the sounds of tires on the wet road nearby bleeding into their moment.

Pinning Aaron to the wall, Rick pressed against him. “I’m going to suck you and you’re not going to touch a damned thing, you hear me?” He squeezed Aaron’s dick through his jeans. “You touch, and you’ll regret it.” He felt the dick twitch as the man pinned groaned. “Whatever happens, I won’t stop.”

Aaron could feel himself hardening at the aggressive turn in Rick’s demeanor. It was hot and made hotter when those new hands were shoving his pants down and a mouth began roughly biting down his body, leaving red marks as he arched and cried out with each one, until Rick was on his knees between his feet, wrapping his lips around his dick. Aaron wanted to cry.

Rick was working him hard, digging nails into his ass, thighs, and hips and roughly rolling his balls and pressing knuckles against his hole. Aaron couldn’t believe how easily Rick had found his buttons and was pushing them. He needed this. His legs were trembling, and his hands were itching to find that blonde hair when the bathroom door banged open again, letting the club’s music get louder and then muffle again at the door slammed shut. Opening his eyes, Aaron saw two college girls watching him. Them. Scanning the room, his brain put together that there were no urinals. They were in the women’s bathroom. He was getting sucked off, two knuckles pressing against his ass while another hand was rubbing his balls, and they were in the women’s restroom. The sudden awareness of it crashed over him like a wave and he was coming, body pouring all its energy out his dick and the room, the girls watching, went out of focus.

A moment later, he could feel Rick stand, holding him against the wall with one hand. Looking down, he watched the blonde man freeing his own prick.

“God you’re so hot. You know that? I just wanna come all over you.”

“Please.” The word was out before his brain caught up. “Please.” He was mesmerized by the sight, he hadn’t witnessed someone else jacking off in person since the day in the woods, the memory rising to the surface making him want to touch and the drugs and alcohol sending his impulse control on vacation. Staring, Aaron reached out and felt the head of Rick’s cock, felt the silky softness as it grew increasingly damper. “Yesss…” He heard himself hiss.

Rick watched Aaron’s face until the pull was too much. Quickly he was coming, coating both of them with his essence. “God.” He groaned. “That was worth giving up for a few hits.” He pulled back, working to clean himself up and tuck himself in. Surprised that Aaron was still propped against the wall, sticky and with his jeans around his feet. The man didn’t come across as much of an exhibitionist, but he’d been wrong about people before. Shrugging, he washed his hands, brushed past the women who were still staring, and left.

==

Classes became a rolling string of days spent trying to focus hard and look sober, or, at least, more sober than everyone else, and nights searching the clubs for Rick and his amazing mouth and talent for knowing just what he needed.

It wasn’t until the professors released the pre-finals grades that Aaron started paying attention. He’d been an exemplary student in high school, even with his accelerated course load, he’d kept a wonderful GPA that had made his mother proud. But this… Well, the clubbing was going to have to stop until after finals because he needed perfect scores in order save himself. It wasn’t like he’d managed to find the elusive Rick anyway.

The second night holed up in the campus library, Rick found him.

“Was startin’ to think you lied about where you went to school.”

The voice had Aaron jolting nearly out of his chair and then grinning when he connected the face with the words. “Rick!”

Pulling a chair over, he flipped through the books on the desk. “What are you studying?”

“Pre-law.”

Rick choked back a laugh. “And you’re out partying?”

Aaron shrugged. “How’d you get in here without an ID?”

“At first I batted my eyelashes but now… Now they’ve seen me so much they assume I’m a student.”

It was Aaron’s turn to snort. “I’d been looking for you at clubs and you’d been looking for me here?”

“Not just here, but yes. So. Is it okay if I’m here? Or was that a onetime thing?”

He considered that a minute, thumbing the pages of his textbook. “I would have been okay with a onetime thing, but… I was hoping to run into you again.”

“Well, you done studying for tonight? We can grab a pizza and talk? Maybe even learn each other’s last names?”

“You know what? Sure.” He stood. “Let’s go.”

==

By the time the pizza was gone, they had covered all the basics of getting to know one another. Rick leaned in and asked. “You sharing a room?”

“Yes, unfortunately. But my roommate’s last final is Wednesday and he’s leaving town for winter break right after, he’ll be gone by dinner. I’m staying here for break… Nothing worth going home to.”

“Fancy some company? I have to head home Christmas Eve but I’m coming back on the twenty-sixth. We could have some quality time the rest of it though.”

“Sure. The building will be mostly deserted I think anyway.”

Rick grinned. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll pack lite.”

==

Two more finals to go, but the moment his roommate was out the door, Aaron went to work all but sanitizing the room, making sure it was safe for his new friend to being staying over. He didn’t want to assume they’d be sharing a bed, so just in case he remade the other one.

Nervously pacing, Aaron jumped when someone knocked on the door and he hurried to let Rick in, shutting and locking it behind them. “Hey. You… you came.”

“I plan to, yes.” Rick grinned mischievously.

==

“So.” Rick started over their shared dinner of cheap delivery Chinese. “When did you know?”

“Know?”

“That you were gay?”

“Uh… In eighth grade I realized all the other guys were talking about the girls, thinking about the girls, and I was thinking about the guys. Then when I was a freshman a year later, there was this boy…”

“First boyfriend?”

“We never made it that far. He was new, and we hit it off and then we _really_ hit it off. We would go into the woods behind my house for privacy and the first time it was all…kid stuff I guess. We were curious and afraid, but we’d seen some magazines at the library in the adults only section and we wanted to know what it was all about.” He sighed. “My dad caught us. Scared the kid off, beat the snot outta me.”

Rick raised a brow. “He forbids you to be gay?”

“Yep.”

“That’s…tough. So that’s why you’re in school all the way up here?”

“Yeah.”

Rick thought a minute. “Wanna fool around then?” He gestured to the bed.

“Hell yeah.” Aaron was already starting to strip.

Laughing, Rick copied his actions until they were naked, lying smashed together on Aaron’s twin bed. He could see how suddenly nervous Aaron was. “Ever do this sober?”

“No.” Aaron wasn’t sure now where to put his hands, what he could touch. “I- I know what they do in the movies, but…”

“That’s okay, that’s okay.” Rick pulled on the back of his head until their lips came together. Once they were kissing, he let his hand slip down and grip Aaron’s hip. He could feel his dick twitching with interest, ready for whatever they managed to do.

Aaron pulled back with a moan when he shifted and their cocks rubbed together. He wanted to know everything they could do to one another, wanted to feel as much as he could. “I want to feel you.” A hand around his prick had his eyes rolling back. “God, that is so good.”

Pushing Aaron onto his back, Rick knelt over him. “Mind if I try something?”

“What?”

“Have you ever considered anal?”

He thought. “I’ve seen it on videos. I’ve… I’ve never tried anything though.”

“I have lube and things in my bag.” He offered. “We could give it a try.”

“Who… Who would take who?”

Rick shrugged. “We can try both ways.” He waited as Aaron mulled it over and eventually nodded before he crawled off the bed and dug the bottle and other supplies out of his bag. Popping the cap, he poured some in his palm, first slicking up their cocks, an action that made Aaron buck and swear, before he returned to his spot and then was manipulated onto his side, one knee up. “Fingers first, gotta get you to relax some.” Rick circled Aaron’s tight hole with a slicked-up finger. “Breathe out.” As Aaron exhaled, he pressed one finger in to the knuckle. “See, not so bad.”

Aaron pushed more air out, working hard to focus on the task of relaxing. “It’s weird.”

“Yeah.” He smirked. Pulling his finger back after several thrusts, he continued. “Now two fingers?”

Aaron lifted when two fingers pressed into his hole. There was pressure and an odd feeling of being full and then the fingers moved, and it was like his brain exploded. “Shit!” He heard Rick chuckle. “Was that…?”

“Yep. Lovely little thing, isn’t it?”

He panted. “God yes.” The fingers pulled back and Aaron felt suddenly empty.

“Want to try more?”

“Uhh.” He chewed his lip.

“No is a perfectly acceptable answer, Aaron.”

Dark eyes met blue ones. “No. Not… not right now.”

==

**4.5 YEARS LATER**

==

Aaron pulled on his dress shirt and stared at himself in the mirror. Just below where his tie would lay was an impressive bite mark. “I had planned on wearing a white shirt, you know.” He called to Rick in the next room.

“So, wear one.”

“I could see the bite through the material!” He called again. “I can’t believe you had to mark me like that before graduation.”

“I can’t believe you tried to kill yourself just to get through undergrad and law school so fast.” He finally came into the room, half dressed. “I still have four years left.” He pushed his lower lip out in a mock pout. “Will you wait for me?”

“Of course.” He laughed, pulling his boyfriend in for a kiss. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Rick tried to increase the kiss, but Aaron pulled back. “Okay, fine, I believe you. I checked, and I think if we hurry, we might have time for a quickie before we leave.”

“No.” Aaron pushed back, heading through their jointly rented house to find his shoes. “Keep your hands to yourself! I can not be late for my own graduation ceremony.”

“Hey. Will your parents be there?”

“Yeah. I think so.” Both men knew that Aaron had never, would likely never, tell his parents about his relationship, even though they were out to their friends and to Rick’s family. “If I see them, I’ll warn you.”

“Okay. You know, you’re an adult now. A lawyer even. He can’t do anything to you anymore for being gay.”

“I know. I’m just not ready yet.”

==

“Way to go son!” Thomas Hotchner slapped his son on the back after the ceremony was over. “You’re a lawyer now, a proper man. Now you just have to find yourself a pretty little woman like I have in your mother to take care of you and keep the home nice.”

Aaron bristled at his father’s words. He knew, had known for years, about his father’s relationships with his secretaries. And he knew his mother knew as well, it was why she drank. Theirs wasn’t a marriage to model after- infidelity, alcoholism, abuse, and Aaron wondered what it would take for someone to see that. Spotting Rick leaned against a tree in the shade, Aaron acted on impulse, something he rarely allowed, and shrugged out of his father’s grip. “I’ve already found someone. I don’t know if it will be forever, but we love each other. And we’ll just have to get used to sharing the chores.”

“You found yourself an educated woman?” Thomas’s views on the subject bleeding out in his words.

“Almost.” Aaron turned on his heel and made a bee line for his boyfriend, startling him as he pulled him into a deep kiss. When they eventually broke apart, Aaron grinned up at him.

“Shit, Aaron! What was that for? Your parents are still here!” Rick gasped.

“I know.” He felt almost delirious with the amount of weight being lifted off him.

“Son of a bitch!” Thomas snarled. “I thought I beat all the gay outta you, boy!”

Aaron turned, standing tall between his father and Rick. “Not a chance.”

“If that’s your choice, you’re dead to me then.”

“Fine by me.” Aaron watched his father grab his mother and drag her away.

“Shit, Aaron, you couldn’t a warned me or something?”

“There wasn’t time.”

“And if he’d a slugged you?”

“In a crowd full of fresh, new lawyers? I don’t think even he’s that stupid.”

Rick just shook his head as they worked their way off campus and home.

==

Back in their home, Rick followed Aaron into the bedroom, watching him strip as he walked. “So, mister lawyer. What are your plans now?”

“Right now?” Aaron turned, pulling his belt free and tossing it aside. “My first plan is to strip down and celebrate by screwing you six ways to Sunday.”

“Oh, is it now?” Rick started to strip as well. “What if my plan was to do that to you?”

“Then I guess you’ll have to wait.” Aaron stood, finally naked, in the middle of the room, stroking himself to hardness. Their sex life over the past four and a half years had grown by leaps and bounds. At first, after their first winter together, Aaron had been too nervous to try anything close to anal again. They’d stuck mostly to self-pleasure and blowjobs. By spring break, Aaron had found it within himself to try jacking them both off, dick to dick.

Their first foray into anal had been over that next summer and entirely by accident. Aaron had loved Rick’s slight obsession with his ass, especially if he was on his knees blowing him, and had gifted him with lube to slick his fingers up. During a vigorous evening in which they had been blowing each other at the same time, Rick’s hand had lost grip and his to fingers had plunged in as far as they could go in one smooth motion. When Aaron had lurched and cried out, he’d forced those fingers against his prostate, coming immediately. Panting through the sudden rush, he’d realized he hadn’t wanted Rick to stop and had instead begged him to add one more and keep going. He’d swallowed the blonde’s heavy dick down and he’d been given his first ever proper finger fuck up his ass. Losing control, he’d tried to ride those fingers until he was coming again, the stimulation making him almost black out until Rick came suddenly, making him cough and splutter.

The next time had been much better and less surprising. Aaron had experimented with this new discovery and had begged for it again. They’d also, over the years, worked on Aaron’s need for a little pain with his sex. Rick didn’t mind the biting and spanking, but he wanted his partner to enjoy the loving moments as well.

Snapping back to reality, Aaron crawled onto the bed on all fours, detouring to the side table for his cock ring and plug, tossing the lube to Rick while he slipped the ring on. “Fine, you first.” He got into the position he loved, knees spread wide and ass waiting.

“I couldn’t believe you did that today, it was hot.” He snapped the lid open on the lube. “I would have taken you there if there’d been a place.” Tossing the bottle aside, he pushed his middle finger into Aaron to the hilt, stroking in and out. He knew it wasn’t enough stimulation and Aaron would want more. Sure enough, the other man’s body began to rock. “Shh, I got you.” He pulled his hand away and still him. Slicking up his dick, Rick lined up and pushed in. “Let me in, Aaron.” He felt when he relaxed, and he was able to slip inside. “God, you’re always so tight.”

Aaron let himself go as he began to be fucked in earnest. “I had to tell him, you’re mine. I’m yours. There’s no alternative.” He groaned as Rick hit his prostate every few thrusts. “Take me, take me baby.”

Rick loved how Aaron babbled during sex, it spurred him on to go longer, harder. He shifted so he was hitting his mark every pass and relished in the change of pitch, in the cries as Aaron was pushed further and further. “I’m going to fill you up. I’m coming, damn you, I’m filling you up.” He pumped until he couldn’t any more and then he pressed in as far as he could, letting the throbbing, pulsing take over until he was milked to completion.

Pulling back, Rick caught the plug and pushed it in as soon as he pulled out. He didn’t understand Aaron’s love for the item, but was happy to oblige. Rolling onto her back on the bed, he gathered the lube and held it out as Aaron took his place over him. He loved Aaron, sex was just a part of that. He loved his passion for everything, his drive to achieve and do better. Relaxing, he exhaled as Aaron sank into him. “Make love to me, Baby.”

==

It turned out Aaron hated being a lawyer almost as much as he’d hated his father. Rick was a wonderful support as he talked Aaron through the cases he got while still working on his own degree. Aaron had managed to get an entry position with the federal prosecutor’s office, putting away murderers and other people who couldn’t, shouldn’t, be in society. That part felt good, the part that sucked was seeing bad men go free over technical issues. He was always too late to the party, it seemed.

“So, do something else.” Rick shrugged one evening. “I’m sure that law degree can come into use some other way.”

“Like what?” Aaron munched on a slice of pizza. “I’ve only ever imagined being a lawyer.”

“Well…” He thought a minute, brushing crumbs off his textbook. “The FBI had recruiters on campus last week looking for our best and brightest. I be they could use your law degree.”

Aaron pulled a face.

“It was just and idea, Aar. I’m sure you’ll find something. And in the meantime, your big ol’ brain can keep helping us on trivia nights.”

“Unless they decide I’m a ringer again.”

Rick rolled his eyes. “It’s bar trivia night, how can anyone be a ringer.”

“Dunno.” He shrugged. “It’s a nice dream, but I have a case to finish review for. I may not enjoy the job, but I can at least do it well while I’m miserable.”

Standing to throw his plate away, Rick slapped Aaron’s shoulder. “That’s the spirit.”

==

It was the most high-profile case their office had gotten in his very short career and even though Aaron wasn’t officially working it, he used every free moment he had to become familiar with it. He managed to get the lead attorney to let him be the man’s lacky, running off copies and fetching files. The other junior attorneys talked about him behind his back, but for once, Aaron was mostly enjoying his work, enjoying the paper trail, the following the police reports. He was acting as a researcher for the lead prosecutor and it got Aaron to wondering if he wasn’t better suited for this than actually practicing law.

He was elbow deep in paperwork, trying to trace a series of interviews to their origination to find where the man being charged might have slipped up. The interviews were all dictated, but sometimes he found it easier to listen to the original tapes, hear the inflections that were lost when they were typed. He was startled when another junior lawyer slammed the door to the small workroom his was in open, a dark-haired man in a suit standing in the hall behind him.

“Hey, Hotshot!” The lawyer smirked, using the nickname Aaron’d gained over recent weeks. “Any paperwork squirreled away in here in the FBI interviews?”

“Uhh, yeah.” He glanced at the suited man looking bored in the hall. “Here. The first ones are the Agent Gideon ones and the others are Agent Rossi.” He leaned to see the man better. “Who’s…”

“No matter to you, Hotshot.” The lawyer left, slamming the door shut behind him, blocking Aaron’s view of the hall.

Aaron frowned but went back to his work. Three days later, he figured out who the man in the hall had been when the lead prosecutor called Agent Rossi to the stand to explain his part of the investigation. As soon as he got home, Aaron looked up jobs with the FBI.

==

Rick watched the excited look on Aaron’s face. “Are you serious?”

His eyes were glittering. “As a heart attack. You had mentioned the FBI a while back and I didn’t think anything of it at the time but then I’d been helping work on that murder case and it involved the FBI. I sat in on the trial and there was an agent there who was just… Man, he was amazing.”

Rick chuckled. “Should I be worried?” He teased.

“What? No!” He responded before realizing he was being teased. “Anyway. I mailed off an application and now I’ve been called in for an interview. If I did get in, I’d have to go to Virginia for part of a year for training.”

“Okay. Virginia isn’t all that far. I mean, you can still come home on weekends, yeah?”

“I guess? I honestly don’t know.” He sagged, taking a seat beside his boyfriend. “It felt like a great idea when I was submitting the paperwork, but… Now I could be separated from you for a while and… That feels weird.”

“We’ve been apart before for different reasons.”

“I know.”

Rick leaned in, pressing a kiss to Aaron’s shoulder. “Well, that’s an issue for another day. Today we have a different issue.”

“We do?” He stared down his nose at him.

“Yes.” Rick scooted closer, nuzzling against his cheek. “The issue we have right now is we’ve both been so busy lately, by the time we’ve gotten home, neither of us have been in the mood for anything more than sleep.”

“And your solution to this…issue?”

His hands ghosted along Aaron’s belt. “Nudity. Lots of skin, maybe a little lube, a whole lot of working up an appetite.”

Aaron opened his mouth to respond but gasped as fingertips slipped along the outline of his dick. “But… But then neither of us will feel in the mood to cook.”

“That’s okay. We’ll order in.”

“Sounds good.” With that, Aaron pulled Rick onto of himself as he laid them out on the couch. “I wonder how long we can tease each other without either of us actually coming.”

Rick chuckled. “Now, that sounds like a challenge.”

“It does, doesn’t it.”

==

Long after they’d attempted to eat dinner, both sporting leaking hard-ons that the other kept teasing, Aaron was starting to suspect that Rick practiced edging when Aaron wasn’t around, because he seemed a hell of a lot less bothered by being denied release than Aaron felt. He was determined not to be the first to come, but they’d been at it hours already and he was starting to wonder at what point they’d risk permanent damage. They were on the couch again now, watching something that Aaron couldn’t keep a focus on. Rick’s head was in his lap and every once in the while the blonde would roll over and lick a stripe up the underside of his cock, making him groan and thrust. It was only fair, however, Aaron figured as every chance he got, he was massaging his lover’s balls or dragging a blunt fingernail around the head of his cock.

When the show ended, Aaron was surprised when Rick rolled over, landing on his feet.

“I’ve had enough of being painfully horny.”

“And how do you propose we stop being painfully horny?”

Rick tipped his head to the side as he thought. “I want to make love to you.”

Those words went straight to his dick and Aaron groaned as his prick throbbed, fresh precome beading at the tip.

Offering his hands, Rick pulled him to his feet. “Let’s go to bed, my love, before you make a mess of things right here in the living room.”

Accepting the help, Aaron allowed himself to be led to the bedroom, crawling up and laying on the bed with a pillow under his hips. Rick was right behind him, fishing out the lube before joining him on the bed.

Warming the liquid a moment before pouring some out into his hands, Rick slicked himself up, guiding the blunt head of his cock to Aaron’s hole. “Let me in, my love.” He murmured as he increased the pressure until he slipped past the ring of muscles and sank in completely. “I love the feel of you so much.”

Aaron tried to resist squirming, but he was keyed up and really needed him to move. “Fuck me. Please. Move.” He gasped when the prick in his ass pulled away and then pressed back in. “My god, I’m too close, Rick.” He squeezed the base of his cock, stalling the eruption that was building within him. “Fuck me before I come.”

“My pleasure.” Rick slowly found a pace that felt good and worked himself slowly closer to his release. He could see the fight in Aaron’s face, the desperate desire and the determination to hold on. Sex with Aaron was amazing, he was so open and inviting. Pulling his knees closer, Rick change the angle away from the other man’s prostate, watching as some of the tension left his face. They’d get there soon enough, so if Aaron was set on the idea of putting it off a little longer, he figured he could help by not torturing him.

Aaron exhaled at the new position. He ached, his dick hot and swollen. Peeling his eyes open, he watched as Rick pounded into him, pulling his knees even further apart and causing Rick to slip in further. “I love you so much.”

The words took Rick by surprise. It wasn’t that Aaron never said them, he did it all the time, he had just never been big on professions of love _during sex._ Letting himself collapse down, Rick dragged him into a kiss, nipping and tugging at Aaron’s mouth as their changed position slammed into the prostate of the man beneath him with every thrust. “Let go, Baby. Just let go.”

Aaron whined, but the mix of being fucked plus the occasional friction of Rick’s abs against the dripping head of his dick made him turn lose of himself and cling to his lover. “Rick…” He gasped, losing all sense of speech as he filled the space between them with come. The pounding in his ass continued until Rick was the one coming, filling him up and then slipping accidentally out, spraying his hole and the backside of his balls with the last of his come.

Rick groaned, sagging into Aaron’s arms and kissing him again hard. “I love you too.”

They were both panting. “I wish we could…” Aaron cut himself off.

Rolling to the side, the blonde crawled off the bed to wash up, missing the stunned look on his partner’s face. “You wish we could what?” He asked back over his shoulder.

“Nothing.” Aaron was frozen in place. He mentally berated himself for what he’d almost said.

==

Aaron frowned at the Seattle fog. He’d made it through the Academy at the top of his class and had immediately been assigned to the field office on the West coast. He hadn’t been thrilled being separated from Rick, but after endless hours of discussions, the other man had assured him that they wouldn’t be separated for long, that as soon as an opening happened back East, Rick knew Aaron would apply for a transfer.

And it wasn’t like he hated his new job, in fact, Aaron found he loved it. He helped SWAT as well as in the office, run ragged by the older agents, but learning so much from it that he didn’t mind at all.

And for the most part, it was a safe job. He’d only been shot at twice, once missed, not that it eased Rick’s panic any when Aaron had made _that_ call. The second time was tonight. And the bullet didn’t miss. Aaron was sitting in an alley, waiting for someone to arrive to haul him to the hospital. They knew he was there, but their suspect had taken off after the gunfight and everyone else who had been able had gone in pursuit. Aaron wasn’t able. The bullet had gone clean through his inner thigh, just above the knee and it hurt like hell.

He tried not to think too hard about where the suspect could have hit instead.

“Oi! You alive still?”

The deep voice made Aaron’s head snap up. It was the agent from DC. “Yes, Sir. Just thinking about my life choices is all.”

The older man smirked. “Yeah, well, bullet wounds tend to bring that on. You’ll get used to it.”

He tried to push up to his feet. “You my ride to the hospital?”

The agent pulled a face. “No, the ambulance should be about here. You’re bleeding fairly bad, no sense ruining a perfectly good SUV.”

“More worried about a vehicle than an agent?” Aaron teased lightly.

He wagged his finger at him. “You’re still green, haven’t learned about the paperwork hell that comes with damaging an SUV. I swear it’s a novel you have to write.”

“What do you know about writing novels?”

The agent shrugged. “Nothin’. But go ahead, wreck one of their precious vehicles. Then you’ll see.”

The ambulance stopping at the alley interrupted their conversation until Aaron saw the older man climb in beside him. “What about the SUV?”

“Oh, I had one of the guys drop me off.” He got settled and buckled as the ambulance began to move. “I wanted to talk to you, figured now was as good a time as any.”

“Because I can’t run away?”

He shrugged. “Maybe. Look, I know you don’t know me, and I don’t know you outside of the file your boss passed to me earlier in the week. But I think you’d be a good fit on my team.”

Aaron was nearly speechless. He’d read up on the BAU in the past, but it was a hard department to get into. It was small, and they got tons of applicants. “Really?”

The older man nodded. “We should talk more, once they’ve patched you up. You have a family you’ll be headed home to?”

“Uh, no. I’m on my own.”

“Hope you have enough space at your place for one more then.”

Aaron was about to answer, but the ambulance had stopped, and the doors were pulled open.

==

Dave looked around the small apartment as he helped the doped up younger agent crutch into it. It was simple, but more than simple. It was _basic_. Like Aaron didn’t plan on staying long. He helped him to the couch before wandering off in search of water. Dave knew those pills always left him with cottonmouth, so he planned on being ready when Aaron needed it.

He thought it was a bit odd that a man as good looking as Aaron was didn’t have a girlfriend or something waiting on him. “Why don’t you have a girlfriend?” He boldly asked when he got back to the couch. Aaron’s eyes were hazy and unfocused, it was mean to ask things when he was in this state, but he didn’t really care.

“Don’ wan’ one.” Aaron slurred.

“Why not? You gay?”

The hazy look left his eyes as Aaron leveled a lethal stare at him, his voice instantly clearing and becoming hard. “Do you?” He bit out.

Dave huffed, ignoring the sudden change in demeanor for a moment. He’d clearly hit a nerve. “Three ex-wives, I think I’ve reached my limit. But yes, I have a girlfriend back home. We’ve been off and on about eighteen months. Before her but after my last ex-wife, I was mostly single.” When Aaron didn’t speak, but just kept with the glare, he added in. “I would occasionally have dinner with a young man about your age, his name was Geoffrey.” The only clue that he’d hit the problem on the head was the very slight twitch of Aaron’s lips. “Anyway, enough about me. We need to get you to bed. That leg will hurt like hell for a few days, but you’ll be fine.”

==

Aaron woke the following morning to the sound of the phone ringing on his nightstand. Groaning he stretched and snagged it off the receiver. “Hotchner.”

Rick sighed. “Good morning, Beautiful. How’s the case?”

“Shit.” Aaron rubbed his tired eyes. “The case is over, we got the guy.”

“That’s good.”

“I got shot.”

“What?!” Rick’s voice rose.

“Hey, it was a through and through, I’m fine. I was in and out last night, just some stitches. I woulda called before but I think I was on some powerful drugs for the pain. Another agent dropped me off at home.” Aaron did his best to stretch without aggravating his wound but ended up hissing at the sudden increase in pain.

“You know what, you need someone to take care of you. How long are you out?”

“A week, maybe two. Don’t know yet.” He adjusted the blankets. “You don’t have to come, I’ll be fine.”

“No, I’m taking some time, one week won’t hurt my classes and besides, you got _shot_ , Aaron. I’ll see if I can get a flight out today.”

Aaron sighed. “Fine. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Love you, Babe.”

“You too.” He disconnected the call and huffed. He hated being a burden, but it would be nice to have Rick around for a few days. Trying to care for himself on his own was going to be difficult anyway and he missed his partner. Aaron was startled when Agent Rossi appeared in his bedroom doorway. “What are you doing in my apartment?”

Dave’s brows rose in slight surprise. “You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?”

“I rode with you to the hospital.” He waited for a nod. “You said you lived alone, so I brought you home. I slept on your couch like I told you I was going to.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to do that. You can go now, though, a friend is going to come stay with me. They’re going to try to fly out here today.”

“A friend?”

“Yes. A friend.”

“Okay.” Dave turned to walk away but stopped. “I’ll just stick around till your friend shows up then. I’ll make some breakfast and we can talk about my offer from last night.”

“Offer?”

Dave smirked. “Get up and sorted out and we’ll talk.” He wandered toward the kitchen, leaving Aaron to get himself ready.

==

Aaron hobbled into the kitchen wondering how he would get the older agent out of the house before Rick turned up. He wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling that an institution like the FBI wasn’t exactly openly welcoming to gay agents, not that he had any proof that it wasn’t either. But he’d read up on Agent Rossi ever since the day he’d seen him in court and he figured the older man probably had some pretty rigid ideas about relationships. Sinking into a chair, his mouth began to water at the smells of whatever was cooking on the stove.

“Omelets okay?” Dave glanced over his shoulder.

“Yeah. I didn’t even know I had eggs.”

He huffed. “That’s why I checked the dates first.” He placed a plate of food in front of the younger man. “So, tell me about you, Aaron.”

“Not much to tell.”

“Originally from?” He guided.

“Virginia, went to school up North.”

“Law degree, I read. What made you decide to switch to the FBI?”

Aaron chewed as he debated how to answer. “You did.”

“I did?” That surprised him.

“You testified on a case I was helping with. A friend had mentioned before that that the FBI had been on his college campus recruiting, so the idea had already been tossed out there. But listening to you testify about what profiling was and defending your work…I wanted to be a part of something like that. I wanted to be that passionate.”

“You weren’t passionate about law?”

He chuckled. “No. I went into law because my father was a lawyer.”

Dave saw the dark cloud that passed in Aaron’s eyes and saved those questions for a later date.

“Well, I offered you a chance to join the BAU, is that something you’d be interested in?”

“I’d have to talk to, umm… I’d need to bounce the idea around a bit, but maybe.”

“You did good work on this case, by the way. I’m impressed with some of the things you came up with.”

“Thank you.”

Rossi did his best to find reasons to still be puttering around Aaron’s little apartment until late into the afternoon when someone opening the front door made them both look up.

“I’m here now, Aar…” The blonde trailed off, seeing the older man in the room. “Hello.”

Dave stood and offered his hand. “David Rossi. You must be some friend if you feel comfortable just waltzing right in.” He caught the look this new person shot Aaron.

“Uhh, I’m Rick. Rick Jackson.”

“We met in college.” Aaron offered.

“You’re a lawyer as well then?”

“Um, no.” Rick’s eyes cut to Aaron again. “I’m studying to be an architect.”

“Ah. But you were both on the same campus then.”

“Actually…I was at MIT, we met at a club.”

Dave smirked but said nothing more. He could see the worried look on Aaron’s face. “Well, it’s good to meet you Rick. I’d been telling Aaron here about an offer I was extending him to come back to Virginia and join the BAU. I thought maybe he had ties back East and would want to get back, but I guess I was wrong.” He turned to let himself out. At the door, he turned back. “Maybe once you two are settled in for the night, he’ll give you more details and you can make him see sense? I think you’d both be happier.” He pulled the door shut behind him and left.

After a beat, Rick turned. “Who the hell was that?”

“The great Dave Rossi.”

“Oh.” He pondered a minute. “And you told him we were together?”

“No.” Aaron frowned. “But I think he knows anyway.”

==

**1 year later- 1998**

==

Dave knew he wasn’t a young man anymore, but he’d been in love enough times to recognize the look on someone else’s face. It had taken him two more weeks to convince Aaron to agree to the transfer and then another few months to get the paperwork pushed through, but it took no time at all to see that he’d been right about the younger man’s natural abilities.

He still, however, hadn’t managed to get him to admit that he and the blonde architect were a couple.

Dave looked around as he climbed out of his car. It was a Saturday afternoon and he hoped that his unannounced visit might finally get the newest member of his team to open up once and for all.

==

Aaron loved the house they’d found together not far from the base. It still meant a longer drive for Rick, but they’d both fallen in love with it’s charm. Wandering from the bedroom to the space that had been converted into Rick’s office, Aaron leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not planning on working all day, are you?”

Rick looked up from his seat. “Well, that entirely depends. I might be finding that I’m still out of practice having you hear all the time. Maybe you should find a way to distract me.”

With a smirk, Aaron pushed off and crossed the room tipping the chair back so he could have Rick’s full attention as he kissed him. “I know of a few ways I could distract you.”

“Really.” Rick opened his mouth to let Aaron in. “Like what?”

Two quick knocks on the front door made him stand and start to back up, figuring it was a package being dropped off. Aaron tugged Rick along, walking backward. “Like… Dragging you back upstairs and starting in that shower that’s almost hedonistic in size.” His hand grabbed the doorknob. “I want to start with swallowing your cock until you’re seeing stars.” He assumed that, like every previous delivery, the person had simply dropped the package and left, so Aaron was totally surprise when, as he finished his sentence as the door opened, he found his boss on the other side. “Rossi!”

Deciding it wasn’t worth it to hide anymore, Rick stepped up, wrapping his arms around Aaron’s waist and resting his head on his shoulder to see the older man. “Agent Rossi, what brings you by?”

“Dave, please. May I come in?”

When it became clear that Aaron wouldn’t answer, Rick invited him in. “Sorry, we weren’t expecting you. Would you like a coffee?”

“Yes, thanks.” He followed them into the living room. “Aaron.” He finally tried once they were alone.

“I…”

“It’s okay, Aaron. Just spit it out. You’re gay. Yeah, I know. I’ve known since the night you got shot.”

“Oh…”

Dave chuckled but didn’t say anything further until Rick returned with the drinks. “Well, Aaron, that was easier than I expected it to be.”

“What’s that?”

“I figured it was time to prod you into admitting, at least to me, that you two were a couple.”

Aaron blushed slightly. “I just… I wasn’t sure the Bureau was entirely comfortable with…”

“Gay agents?” He finished.

“Yeah.”

Dave nodded. “I get it.” He watched Aaron visibly relax. “So, how long’ve you two been together then?”

“Uh, about six years.” Aaron reached for his coffee and took a sip.

“Planning to get married then?”

The sip went down wrong, and Aaron spluttered around his drink.

==

**7 years later- 2005**

==

 

Using a parked car as a shield, Hotch peered up through the already shot out windows in an attempt to locate their unsub. He’d settled in well in the BAU, rising in the unit until he was second in command. Working with Gideon was never something as enjoyable as working with Rossi had been, but the man was a brilliant profiler. Aaron popped up, firing three quick shots at their man before sinking back to the ground, swearing softly to himself. He couldn’t see the other members of the team from his spot, but he could hear their gunfire.

Another round of shots was followed by a yell from his right and Hotch scrambled backward to find the source, spotting Gideon curled on the ground behind a tree clutching his arm. He couldn’t get to him now, so Aaron put him out of his mind. The other founder of the BAU had never seemed quite as okay with Hotch as Rossi had. While the old Italian had never blinked at the knowledge that Hotch was gay, getting along smashingly with Rick almost from day one. He’d always had some crack or other witty remark at the ready for just the right moment to tease Hotch about his relationship and Aaron’d never gotten offended, knowing that he did it to everyone about whatever relationship Gideon on the other hand never mentioned Rick, never asked how he was doing or remembered to include him when inviting the team out. Hotch wasn’t sure if it was because the older man simply sucked at interpersonal anything or if he had a problem with the whole thing.

Thinking of Rick, Aaron suddenly remembered that Rossi was due to come for dinner later and heaven help him if the pair were allowed to get started on the scotch before Hotch got home. Glancing briefly at his watch, he frowned rounding the front end of the damaged car, away from where the others were still returning fire. Raising his gun again, Aaron fired one more shot, hitting his intended target and watching the man on the porch of the house crumple to the ground. Standing, he wondered just how fast they could wrap up so he could get home.

==

Rushing in, Hotch called out as he dropped his things. “Rick? I’m home. Sorry I’m late!”

“We’re in here!” Rick called back, confirming what Aaron already knew about Dave having arrived. “Dave was just entertaining me with stories.”

“None of them are true, I hope you know.” Aaron bantered back, finally making it to the living room. “Evening.” He turned to Dave. “Sorry.”

Dave waved him off. “I get it. How’d it end?”

“Took four, saved three, no court case.” Aaron summarized.

The older man nodded. “How’d it end?’

“Firefight. Jason took one to the arm.”

“And you?” Dave pressed.

Hotch didn’t answer right away, instead he veered to the side and collected a glass of scotch of his own before sinking onto the couch beside Rick. He raised the glass to his mouth, hesitating. “I shot him.” He drained his glass.

Rossi knew that, despite how good of a shot he was, the younger man hated shooting anyone. It wasn’t something he ever took lightly. “Well, you’re home now.” He let the silence linger a bit. “I’ll get started on some dinner and let you two catch up.” He stood and walked out of the room, ignoring the protests of the other two for him to sit.

Turning to Rick, Aaron pressed a kiss to his lips. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“How as work?”

“Good. I may have a new project starting, we won the bid for that knew complex I told you about. The bosses are supposed to assign it to a team by the end of the week.”

“That’s great.” Aaron beamed. “You deserve to be on that team. It was your design ideas that created it.” Tugging him in, Aaron deepened the kiss, not caring about their guest in the next room. “Well, it sounds like everything is going well this year then. So maybe our conversation from last fall could be brought back on the table?”

Rick pulled back. “You think so?” He searched his partner’s eyes. “I thought when you said to table it, it was your way of saying no.”

Shaking his head, Aaron sat back. “No, I really want it too, I just wanted us to sit with the idea for a bit.”

“You know.” A voice called from the next room. “It’s impossible to eavesdrop if I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

With a grin, Rick called back. “We’re going to have a baby!”

A crash of a pan hitting the floor followed by swearing filled the house before Dave appeared in the doorway. “Try that again?”

“We talked a few months back about starting a family, we think we’re ready.”

“Ah. And how exactly do you plan on going about this family?”

The two men exchanged a look. “Adoption probably.” Aaron answered. “I don’t think we’re up for surrogacy. I’ve heard some horror stories.”

“Well, let me be the first to say congratulations, you two will be great parents.”

“It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it?”

Dave just grinned and returned to what he’d been doing.

==

Rick crawled up the bed alongside Aaron. “Let’s really talk about this.”

Aaron pulled him close. “I’m really serious, I think we’re in a good place with both our jobs now, things are as stable as they’re going to be. You’re never ready to have kids, no matter how much you plan, but I think we’re as close as we’re going to get.” He pressed a kiss to Rick’s neck. “I still don’t think I’m ready to go through a surrogate, I don’t know as much about that process, but I like the idea of adopting anyway. Somewhere there’s a little kid out there who needs a family to love him or her and we could save them from foster care.”

“Save them?” Rick smirked before gasping as Aaron hit just the right spot, his hips bucking on their own.

“Foster care isn’t all roses. Children need families they belong to.”

“It’s children now?”

Aaron pulled back, searing Rick’s face. “One day… Maybe we could have a few kids.”

“I think that would be great.” He rolled onto his back, pulling Aaron with him. His hands began to wander down his body. “Make love to me Aaron, show me how happy you are with the idea of us having a family.”

Aaron groaned as a hand snaked into his pants and pulled at his dick. They had a healthy enough sex life, but cases and the being away always left him more desperate once he got back. “You keep doing that and I won’t last.” He opened his eyes and looked down at Rick’s grin. He opened his mouth to say more, but the stroking started up again and all he could do was toss his head back and pant.

With his free hand, Rick fished out some lube, messily squeezing some out before switching hands, jacking Aaron off. They were both still more dressed than not, the head of Aaron’s cock jutting out of where his waistband had been pushed down. Ignoring his own throbbing prick for the moment, Rick added a twist when his hand reached the head of the prick in his hand, making Aaron’s arms tremble as he cried out. “Come on, Aaron, I know you need to come.”

Aaron panted, he felt so needy and desperate. “I do, I need to come.” He squeezed his eyes shut, fully focused on the ball pooled low in his spine. “Oh god! Rick!”

Rick watched as his lover’s back arched, his muscles going rigid as he came across Rick’s stomach. “You’re so beautiful.” He waited until Aaron started to go lax before helping him sit back. “I want you to ride me, get undressed.” He waited for Aaron to nod and move back to strip before stripping himself, not caring about the mess for the moment. Snagging the lube again, he worked on slicking himself up before Aaron straddled his hips, hovering just about his head. “Ready?”

Aaron nodded, slowly sinking down with a slow exhale. The days of needing stretched and prepped were ages behind him, but there was still the burn and stretch of being overfilled. “I love you in me.”

“I love being in you.” Their joined movements started out slow, both meeting the other as they made love together. Rick watched as his lover began to pant, his eyes slipping closed. Rick still believed Aaron was the most beautiful man he’d ever known, both inside and out. He wouldn’t have believed that night in a dingy club bathroom that the man he’d been blowing would end up the man he was building a life with.

“What are you thinking about?”

The whisper made Rick look up, into caring eyes. “You. Us.” He could feel his slowly building orgasm creeping closer, so he pulled Aaron down and into a kiss. Rick kept them together, locked as one, moving slowly with the only sounds in the room coming from their coupling until his orgasm crested, sending a rumbling through his body. As he continued thrusting to his end, he felt the body in his arms tremble before his stomach was again coated with his lover’s release. “I love you Aaron.”

“I love you too.”

==

The coordinator Rick and Aaron met with explained to them that many couples wanted babies, so it was going to take some time. She’d talked to them about the possibility of adopting a slightly older child out of foster care, but the couple wasn’t interested in that just yet. Maybe down the road, but they really wanted the experience of raising a child, including the late nights and interrupted sleep. Both Rick and Aaron had gotten a selection of references, coworkers, neighbors, and friends who were willing to talk about the men’s character. They’d approached Dave, since he’d known them for so many years, and had gotten a glowing reference from him along with a twinkle in his eye as he’d told them to have some faith, it would all work for them.

A brief six weeks of waiting later, and Aaron was surprised when his phone rang and the number for their coordinator flash on the screen. “Hotchner.” He answered.

“Aaron, this is Diane Cooley and I have some great news for you.” There was a smile in her voice. “It seems a young woman selected your profile as the couple she wants to adopt her baby. She’s not due for another month, but she’s read over everything you and Rick provided and she is certain you two are the perfect parents for her child.”

“Really? Wow. I- I wasn’t expecting this to happen so fast.”

“I understand, Sir. And it is a bit of an odd case. I’m not entirely sure how your profile got to her, but the agency she’s with is legit.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, she’s not in Virginia, she’s in South Carolina. Normally profiles stay in just our area, but I’ve spoken to the agency there and everything on their end is on the up and up. It’s up to you.”

Aaron drew in a deep breath. “I’ll need to talk to Rick, but this is wonderful. Do you know what she’s having? Not that I, we, care just…”

“No, she knew from the outset that she wasn’t keeping the baby, so she chose not to find out. If she’s due soon, it may be harder to find out, but she probably could.”

“No, you know what, I think it’s perfect. Let me get ahold of Rick, okay? I’ll call you back.”

“Sure.”

Aaron hung up the phone and stared at it a moment. This was it, they were going to be parents.

==

It turned out that Aaron and Rick only ended up with a little over two days to adjust their new reality as parents-to-be before Diane was calling them back, telling them that the mother had gone into labor early and could they travel right away to the hospital. Aaron had been in a panic, they hadn’t even started to shop for a baby and now they needed to pack.

Finding her boss frantically packing up his suitcase, Garcia entered his office and made him stop. “What’s going on?”

His eyes were wild. “The mother, she’s in labor, we have to get to South Carolina.” He swallowed. “We haven’t bought anything yet and now there’s no time to do it.”

“Tell you what, you go home, and you and Rick get packed. I’ll find you a flight and I’ll stop by and buy you enough to get your little bundle back home, okay?”

“You don’t have to do that, Garcia.”

A wide smile crossed her face. “Consider it my gift.”

==

Four hours later, Rick was seated next to Aaron in first class seats, a new diaper bag full of tiny yellow and green clothes under the seat at his feet. “That Garcia girl got us these seats?”

Aaron nodded. “Yeah.”

“Remind me to let her book our next vacation, she’s awesome.”

“Yeah.”

Rick turned and studied the other man. “Hey, this is great. We’re getting our baby.”

“I know. What if I’m a crap father?”

“You won’t be, Aaron. It’s not in you to be the kind of father your own dad was.”

“I doubt that.” He frowned.

“Hey.” Rick nudged him until he looked up. “I believe it, Dave believes it. Hell, that team of people-readers you work with believes it. And keep in mind, I’m going to be right there beside you every day, every minute. We can do this.” He gripped his hand.

“Yeah, we can.”

==

The wait in the hospital had taken hours. Both sides had agreed to the couple not being in the delivery room, the mother was nervous and worried about if something went wrong, so in the waiting room Rick and Aaron stayed until, finally, a nurse came to get them.

“Gentlemen, she’s asked that you come meet your baby now.” She led the pair to the room, peeking in before entering. “Haley, they’re here.”

Rick and Aaron stepped in, taking in the petite blonde in the bed looking exhausted, her hair tied back. The baby was sleeping in her arms.

As they neared the bed, she offered the infant to the man closest, the one with dark hair. “Rick and Aaron, meet your son.”

They’d already picked a name for a boy and a girl, so as Aaron took the newborn and held him close, he smiled down on him. “Hello Jack, I’m your daddy.”

Rick peered down over Aaron’s shoulder. “He does look like a Jack.” He took the baby’s tiny hand. “Hey Jack, I’m your dada.”

Feeling like he was walking on clouds, Aaron grinned. “You know he’s going to be able to say your name first, not sure that’s fair.”

“Yeah, well, you will be his super hero, so I gotta have something.”

==

Jack had needed to be monitored for a while due to being born nearly a month early, but soon enough fathers and son were headed home to start the process of getting to know one another. It was a process much tougher than either man had predicted.

On Jack’s original due date, Dave decided to drop by and visit the new family. He hadn’t seen them since the day they’d brought the tiny sprout home and he wondered how they were holding up. The sight that met him at the door said it all.

Aaron answered the door dressed in sleep pants that looked several days old and a t-shirt with mystery stains on it. His hair was standing up in every direction, his eyes were red and only half open and his feet were bare despite the coldness of the weather already. It was clear to Dave that the younger man hadn’t shaved in some time, and maybe hadn’t eaten properly in just as long. From further in the house there was crying. “Dave? Did I know you were coming by?”

“No.”

A crash made him glance back quickly. “Now’s not really a good time.”

“By the state of you, Aaron, I think now’s a perfect time.” He nudged Aaron back until he could let himself in. “You look like crap.”

“Dave…”

He raised his hands to calm him. “Point me toward my grandson.”

Aaron sagged. “Follow the crying.”

With a nod, Dave headed toward the back of the house. “So how has the past month been?”

“Month?” Aaron asked, confused.

In the doorway of the back bedroom, Dave turned to him. “Aaron? What day is it?”

“Uhh… Thursday. The fifteenth.”

He sighed. “No, Aaron, it’s not.” Turning on his heel, he crossed to where Rick was desperately trying to calm his son. “Give him to me.” When the blonde tried to resist, Dave rolled his eyes and held out his hands. “I have yet to drop or in any way break a baby. Come on.”

Hesitantly, Rick handed Jack over. “I think he’s colicky, he just cries all the time.”

“I’ll figure it out. Now tell me, bottles in the fridge?” He waited for one of them to nod. “Diapers under the changing table?” Another nod. “Good, I can figure anything else from there. You two go upstairs and take showers, change the sheets on your bed, and take a nap. Jack here and I will get to know one another and then we’ll make some lunch for everyone.”

“But…” Aaron started. “He hates being put down. We bought him a bouncy seat, but he hates it.”

“Of course he does.” Dave nudged them both out. “Go on. I’m more than capable. I don’t want to see you for at least three hours.”

Reluctantly, Rick followed Aaron up the stairs. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he asked his partner. “Does Dave even have any kids?”

“No.” Aaron shook his head.

“Nieces? Nephews?”

Another shake. “As far as I know he’s an only child. I’ve honestly never seen him hold a baby before.” He was about to say more, perhaps try to insist that leaving their precious son with the older man wasn’t the best idea but then suddenly the entire house was filled with silence.

Stopping just inside the bedroom, Rick looked around. “How’d he do that?” He crossed to the bed and frowned. “And how’d he know what our bed and room looked like.”

“I have no idea, but that shower is sounding absolutely magical right about now.”

==

Dave watched the pair climb the stairs until they were out of sight before turning his attention to his small charge. “Okay Master Jack, it’s time you and I discovered what makes you tick.” He carried the boy to the changing table and laid him down as he began to undress him. “We’ll start with a fresh diaper, just to be safe and I know your daddies think you look wonderful in this outfit, but it’s not good for snuggling and sleeping.” Applying a fresh, tiny diaper, Dave held him close while he rummaged through the young boy’s clothes until he found a terry sleeper. “Now, first a little t-shirt and some socks and then I’ll let you wear this adorable little sleeper.” He held it up. “With a frog on the butt. For that I am sorry.” He finished dressed the boy and scooped him up, pulling him close as he snagged a blanket on the way to the glider. “You can’t tell anyone about it, but if you quiet down, I’ll sing you a song my Nana sang to me when I was a little boy.” The sound of his voice in his chest had Jack calming down already.

As they rocked, Jack yawned and settled closer to the warm body cradling him, the body was laced with a comforting smell and a deep, soothing voice.

Once Dave felt the baby was calm enough, he carefully carried him to the kitchen, still wrapped in a fluffy blanket. One-handed, he gathered a bottle to warm and began nosing around for things to make lunch.

==

Aaron stretched, rolling over and opening his eyes to his sleeping partner. “Rick.”

“Mm, what time is it?” He yawned but didn’t open his eyes. “I could sleep for a week.”

“Me too. It’s… almost two. Wow! We slept almost four hours.” He listened. “The house is still quiet. I wonder what’s going on.”

“Going on?”

“With Jack.” Aaron nudged at him. “Think they’re okay?”

“Yes. Dave is wonderful.” Rick stretched but made no move to get up. “I wonder what he’d charge to show up every day.”

“Probably too much.” Aaron groaned as he rolled out of bed. “Come on, time to see what sort of mess they’ve made together.”

“Fine.” Rick grunted, still buried in the blankets.

“Rick. Up.”

“Yeah yeah.”

Ten minutes later, the pair was stumbling down the stairs to be greeted with a spotless living room, a spotless nursery, and eventually a spotless kitchen that smelled of lasagna and had Dave working at the stove with Jack snuggled into his bouncy seat on the counter. “Is he asleep?” Aaron whispered, coming closer.

Dave looked over his shoulder. “He should be waking up any minute.”

“How’d you get him to not cry?” Rick asked.

“It’s a secret.” He finished stirring what was in the pot and turned off the stove, setting it aside, before wiping his hands and lifting the baby. “It’s our secret, it’s it, little one? Just between you and Papa Dave.” He snuggled him close and stared down, seemingly lost in thought. Brown eyes were staring back up at him. “He’s perfect.”

Aaron thought he saw dampness forming in the older man’s eyes but couldn’t be for sure. Something with his son was bringing back a memory it seemed. “Dave…”

Drawing a deep breath, he glanced up. “I’m sorry.”

Stepping forward, Aaron gripped his shoulders. “It’s okay. Tell me.”

Dave nodded, leading them all to the living room, but not passing Jack over just yet. “I- I told you once, on that case, about Carolyn.”

Aaron nodded.

“There was something I didn’t tell you.” He swallowed hard. “She and I, we had a son, James. For one glorious week…” His voice caught, and he didn’t continue.

The two other men exchanged a look, sharing a silent conversation between the before Aaron placed a hand on Dave’s knee. “Hey… We’d been talking before today and…I know neither Rick nor I are religious, I don’t have fond memories of church from when I was a kid, but I know, we know, that it’s important to you. And you’re important to us. Jack isn’t going to have tons of extended family, so we have to make him one.”

“We want him to be surrounded by the best kind of people.” Rick added in. “And we wanted to do it officially, legally. We wanted to know if you would be Jack’s godfather and… If something ever happened to us, would you be sure he was taken care of.”

Dave was stunned. “I… I don’t know what to say… Are you sure? Don’t you want someone else?”

Both me shook their heads. “We had discussed it before, but after today… We think we made the right choice.”

“But, what did you mean by legally?”

Aaron adjusted in his seat. “We were filling out a will, that’s what brought this all on to start. We wanted to name people who would look out for Jack’s best interests. We wanted him to have someone who would love him no matter what.”

“Of- Of course!” Dave smiled down at the baby in his arms. “So, is there someone else you asked as well?”

“Yes.”

==

**5 years later- 2010**

==

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go! Dave mentally screamed. They were the perfect, professional couple, bad things weren’t supposed to happen to them. Rushing to catch up with Hotch, Dave wondered exactly what Foyet’s end game was and just what would happen to his friend’s husband and son in the process.

Rick was a smart man, Dave never doubted that, and he never doubted that Jack was safe with him, not once. But being in WitSec required a certain level of trust in the system and that trust had been manipulated. “Hotch! Wait! Just stop a minute!”

Anger rolling off him in waves, Hotch whipped around. “What, Dave!”

“Just pause a second!”

“Pause?! Pause for what?! That monster has Rick and Jack! Dammit, Dave! This job isn’t supposed to touch them!”

“I know! Look, I get it! This whole situation is horrible. Beyond horrible. But you have a team, an entire team right here wanting to help you. We’re begging you to let us help you.” He stepped closer. “Aaron, whatever he did to you, you’ve been through a lot and this is just more shit piled on top, but we’ll get them back safe. I just need you to keep your head on straight and _let us help_!”

Aaron’s mind whirled looking for a solution. “Okay.” He hadn’t told anyone the details of his attack over the summer and he hadn’t told anyone about the thoughts that plagued his mind constantly since the last time he’d seen his family. “Okay. I’ll… I’m going to wash up.” He waited for a nod from his long-time friend before taking careful, measured steps toward the men’s restroom. He had decided on a plan, now he just needed an opportunity.

==

The team was gathered in the conference room discussing where Foyet might go with Rick and Jack while they waited. There was something obvious they were missing, they all felt it. Morgan looked around the room and then to Rossi. “You sure he’s okay?”

“Yeah, we talked, I told he we wanted to help.”

“He’s been in the bathroom a while though.”

Dave sighed, glancing at his watch. “You’re right. I’ll go drag him out. You all keep figuring out where they could have gone.”

The team watched the older man leave before turning back. “He’s been taunting Hotch.” JJ offered. “He has Rick and Jack, wouldn’t he want Hotch to find them?”

“Yes.” Reid replied. “Whatever he’s doing is to specifically torture Hotch, so Hotch has to be able to find them easily.” Before he could go on, Dave burst back in, breathless.

“Garcia, track Hotch’s phone!”

She typed into her laptop. “He’s moving, headed off base! Where’s he going?”

“Let’s go!” Dave grabbed his things. “Garcia, keep tracking him, I think I know where he’s headed!”

Everyone else rushed out to the SUVs as Garcia managed to hack into the one Hotch had taken, giving them ears at least into what might be going on. Long minutes later, a call came through and their fears were confirmed.

“Aaron Hotchner.” Foyet sneered. “Or is it Aaron Jackson? You know, I should have known that you would be so good at taking it up the ass, but for some reason I had thought you’d be the type to be a top.”

“You leave them alone!”

“Shh, Aaron, Aaron. No need to get all worked up. Wouldn’t want little Jack here to hear Daddy getting all upset.”

“If you touch him!”

“Aww, isn’t that so sweet. But your husband here has already promised total compliance so long as I don’t touch him. Of course, once he’s dead, there’s nothing stopping me from spending a little quality time with your darling son. Tell me Aaron, is he really yours? Because he looks amazingly like you. Huh?”

“No.” Aaron ground out.

“Well, that’s a shame. He’s a brave little boy too.”

“Aaron, it’s a trap!” Rick shouted in the background following by the sound of metal hitting flesh and a cry of pain.

“You’ll pay for that!” Foyet shouted. “Tell your husband goodbye.” He chuckled darkly.

“Aaron, don’t come, please. You told me all about him, you know better, don’t come.”

“This is all my fault.”

“Aaron, no! This isn’t your fault! You told me, I remember.” The line went dead.

Hotch still had ten minutes of his drive left, even with lights and sirens on. Foyet was going to kill his family, the only good thing left in his life. If Jack and Rick died, there was no point in going on. He pulled into the front yard and just as he breached the front door, a series of shots reverberated through the dark house. Aaron’s heart sank.

The team had listened to the conversation and then the silence and were almost at the house when the sound of gunfire could barely be made out in the distance. Bailing out of their SUVs, they surrounded and breached the house in time to see Aaron on his knees with no vest, arms extended out before him. He was begging, Rick was silent on the floor beside him, blood seeping into the knees of Aaron’s pants.

Aaron could see Rick was dead and he couldn’t hear Jack anywhere in the house. He didn’t want to think about finding Jack’s body as well. “Just shoot me!”

Foyet hesitated but kept grinning. “Is this the great Aaron Hotchner finally falling to his knees.” He wasn’t sure if he was ready to kill the man yet, he had other business to attend to still and he knew the FBI agents would kill him before he fired. Not wanting to miss such a prime opportunity though, he raised his gun.

Frustrated with the suffering, in too much pain to thinks about any alternatives, Aaron drew his own gun and raised it to his head. “I can’t go on without my family. You win.”

The sound of many guns all firing at once echoed throughout the house, momentarily deafening everyone. As the ringing stopped, Dave heard a sound that made his heart stop.

==

**One week later**

==

JJ and Reid waited in the hall while Prentiss and Morgan took their turn visiting with the man in the hospital room. The scene at the Hotchner-Jackson home had left them all with nightmares. Rick’s wounds had been extensive, but treatable. He’d lost a lot of blood and it had been touch and go for several days, but he was starting to show signs of improvement. The team was doing their best to support him through his recovery, answering any questions when he asked about Aaron or Jack.

The sound Dave had heard had been Jack crying in fear at the sound of all the guns firing on the first floor, he’d cried from fear and then from loss and separation. He hadn’t talked almost at all in the week since, just cried, trembled, or stayed silent. Dave wondered how much therapy was going to be needed to get his godson anywhere close to back to normal again.

Emily and Derek stepped back into the hall with a sigh. “Is Rossi about here?” Emily asked.

JJ nodded. “He was dropping Jack off with Penelope, she didn’t think she could be here for this.” Footsteps ended whatever else she was going to say next as they all turned.

“Is the doctor ready?” Rossi asked, getting a nod from the team in return. “Then let’s do this.”

They all joined the doctor in the hospital room. “Are we ready?” The doctor asked.

In the bed in a chemically induced coma was their friend. He’d sustained a graze to the head from his own gun, a through and through shot just below his wrist that guaranteed at least his field agent days were over, possibly his FBI career entirely. And then there was the shot to his shoulder that they thought came from Foyet’s gun. Dave had been reluctant to admit it was his shot that had, intentionally, his Aaron’s arm in an attempt to stop him from committing suicide right in front of them, the wound had hit vital veins and had resulted in massive blood loss. But now they had a different issue- would his friend still have those tendencies once he learned his husband and son were okay? Would he still be a risk to himself?

Dave prayed with all his might that they could help their friend get past this.

Aaron slowly came to, cracking his eyes open and taking in the people in the room. “Why’m I ‘live?” He slurred.

“Because Rick and Jack are alive.”

“No, saw Rick’s body.”

“But he wasn’t dead, Aaron. He’s alive and ready to come see you.”

Aaron seemed to think on that a while. “Foyet?”

“Dead.”

Aaron’s eyes shut again. “Jack?”

“Alive. Garcia has him now. He’s been staying with me.”

Hotch didn’t speak further or open his eyes again.

“We’ll let you get some rest, Aaron. We’ll be back.” They were almost clear of the room when he heard the man in the bed softly speak again.

“Dave…”

“I’m here.”

Tears were in his eyes now as he opened them again. “Does he know? Does he know I tried to…”?

“No. I don’t think he does. But the two of you need to talk about a lot. You won’t be headed back to work anytime soon, Aaron, that’s partly my fault, but if I hadn’t done what I’d done, we’d be at your funeral right now.”

Aaron nodded. “Tell Jack I love him.”

“Always.”

“And Rick.”

“You can tell him yourself soon enough.”

“Please?!” He strained.

“Yes, I‘ll tell him.” He started to leave again.

“Dave…”

Rossi turned again.

“Thank you.”

“I’m just glad you have your family back. I told you we’d get him.” He studied his friend a minute. “Now, what are you going to do next?”

==

**Three Years Later**

==

“Speech! Speech!” The others cried out, laughing around their drinks. “Come on Hotch!” Emily cheered.

A blush washed across his face, he knew they did it out of love, but he still wasn’t used to the attention. He hadn’t stepped foot back in the BAU or even in Quantico since that day in their house. His superiors had come to the hospital and then to Rossi’s home for any meetings and the team had graciously packed up his office and brought it to them.

Dave had refused to let either man return to the house, buying it off them for what it was worth just a week after Aaron had woke up. He’d then hired Morgan’s contractors to gut and renovate it before relisting it and selling it. He never admitted to Aaron and Rick, and never intended to, but once the repairs had been and the closing costs paid, the house had actually cost him money. But it had been worth it a thousand times over as in the end he’d talked the family into moving into a house three doors down from him. Jack was able to come over and play any time he liked, and the neighborhood was gated, which gave Aaron the sense of peace he needed.

Rick had found the healing process from a gunshot wound to the chest to be much slower that he would have liked, but six months later, he was able to return to work. As far as Aaron’s injuries, he’d been deemed unfit to return so he’d taken the offered retirement. All the damage had been on his right side, his shoulder that had been replaced, his lower arm that was still more metal and pins than flesh and bones, and the scar up the side of his head where hair seemed to refuse to grow, a constant reminder of where the darkness had led him.

Jack had taken almost a year before he would allow either of his dads out of his sight without screaming until they returned. Now, however, he’d slowly become a mostly well-adjusted little boy who loved school and was beginning to trust that his parents would come back when they left.

“Come on, Hotch!” JJ’s voice brought his attention back to the group gathered to celebrate with him today.

“Okay, okay!” He laughed as he stood. “I want to start by thanking all of you. You’ve been there with Rick and I, supporting us as a couple and then as parents. And you stuck by us through the worse moment of our lives, the lowest point in our lives.” He drew a breath. “Most of you already know this, but I started this book because of the shrink I’d been seeing as a way to process everything. I knew my perceptions were off, but I still needed to get my version out, so I could move on.” The room had grown quiet as he spoke. “I never imagined that it would turn into a real book and I never imagined that it would have such great reviews.”

“So, when’s the next one?” Dave joked.

Aaron just shook his head. “Funny you should ask that.”

“Noo.”

Hotch smirked. “That’s what Rick asked me some time ago.” He changed the subject without preamble.  “It was never our intention for Jack to be an only child, but life took us on a different path for a bit and then I was invested in recovery and then this book…” He glanced at his husband for support. “We got word yesterday that we were approved for an adoption from foster care.” He paused at Garcia’s dramatic gasp. “We will be taking in a sibling set of two boys and a girl starting this weekend.”

“Oh my goodness!” The blonde squealed. “When will we get to meet them?”

Aaron couldn’t help the beaming grin now. “Give them time to settle in, Penelope. I promise though to get you pictures.” From there, the room dissolved into many cheerful conversations and Aaron took the opportunity to slip into the quiet kitchen. A minute later, Rick slipped in behind him.

“Hey, you, this is your big day.”

“I know. I just forgot what being around all of them at once was like.”

“Yeah, but they’re our family and they’re happy for you.” He pressed a quick kiss to Aaron’s lips.

“I know.” He returned the kiss and then deepened it. “I’m happy.”

“Are you?”

He had to pause a moment and think. “Yes, I am. I’m happy. I’m not sure what would have happened if I’d lost you and Jack, but now… I’m happy.”


End file.
